"It's not the perfect game, but hey, it's Mega Man!"

The Mega Man series has always been one of the most entertaining video game series, in my opinion. I have always anticipated the next game in the series, mainly because the series itself has always been so fun to play. With a rare exception, I have never really been disappointed by any games in the Mega Man series, and this is definitely a indication of the amount of time Capcom spends to make sure that they produce the best possible game in the series. The only time I have really ever been disappointed with a Mega Man game is Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 8.

Despite the fact I did not really like Mega Man 8, I was still expecting Mega Man X4 to be a good game. How could I not expect to like it? After all, I had enjoyed each of the three previous games in the series. Especially the original Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo, which remains one of my favorite games, even to this day. I had also enjoyed Mega Man X2 and X3, both released for the Super Nintendo. And I had enjoyed most of the games in the NES series. So, how could I not like this game?

Well, I ended up purchasing this game about six months ago. I would say I was completely blown away by how good it was, but sadly I would be lying to you by saying that. See, I really did not love this game, at all. Actually, I think this is the worst game released for the series so far. However, saying that this is the worst game in the Mega Man series is like saying Bases Loaded 3 is the worst Bases Loaded game: all of the games in the series were top notch, and being the worst still means that the game is good.

And that is exactly my feelings about the game. Don’t get me wrong, I love this game, and think that it is one of the better games released for the Sony Playstation. However, I feel as if it is the worst game released in the Mega Man X series. I enjoyed the first three games in the series immensely, however, which means that it was going to take an extreme effort from Capcom in order to make Mega Man X4 my favorite in the series. I still loved this game, and always will enjoy playing it.

The Mega Man series has never really been known for its storylines, but it is safe to say that the storyline in this game is one of the best, if not the best, released for the series yet. There are a lot of characters in the game, and each of them has their own back-story. First, there are the two main heroes, Mega Man X and Zero, who are out to stop the evil Maverick Hunters, led by the Colonel and General. Double is supposed to help Mega Man X and Zero, but instead seems to favor the Maverick Hunter.

Iris is the sister of the Colonel, but is saved by Zero. This means she wants to help out both her brother and Zero. She ends up deciding to try to put an end to the fight between the two, as she figures this is the only way she is going to help them both out at the same time. I told you the storyline was good, and this is just a fraction of the main storyline. It is definitely one of the best storylines I have ever seen in a Mega Man game, and it is just a fantastic job by Capcom.

Now, I will talk about the graphics in the game. When I first started reading information about the game, I also took a look at the many pictures of the game, and was blown away by the quality of the graphics. Some of you may be a little disappointed to read that the graphics in the game are 2D, not 3D, but I couldn’t be happier by the news. After all, most of the classic Mega Man games released have been 2D, so I was happy when I learned that the graphics in the game were 2D.

However, saying the graphics in Mega Man X4 are just plain 2D is like saying the Yankees are just a good team. There is definitely something special about the graphics in Mega Man X4. The backgrounds in the game are incredible, and are some of the best backgrounds I have ever seen in a Playstation game. They are very well detailed, and very well varied. I especially liked the look of the opening stage, with the swirling lights and search lights in the background, it was definitely a nice touch.

The enemy designs in the game were top notch, as well. I really liked the enemy designs in the game, as I felt that the game used a lot of the classic Mega Man enemies, while giving them a completely new look. The result is some of the best enemy designs I have ever seen in a video game. The boss designs in the game are also great, as many of the bosses in the game are simply huge. They definitely are some of the best boss designs ever featured in the Mega Man series. Overall, I was really impressed by the graphics in the game.

One of the things I expected most from Mega Man X4 is a quality music soundtrack. After all, the Mega Man series has always been known to provide the listener/player with top quality music, so I expected this game to also provide the listener/player with top quality music. And Capcom certainly did not disappoint, as Mega Man X4 definitely has good music. I was glad to hear that Capcom used a techno-like soundtrack for this game, as it definitely fits the feeling of the series very well. And the music is definitely much better than the music featured in Mega Man 8.

Sound effects in the game definitely live up to the legacy, as well. For those of you that have played Mega Man 8, you will know that the game featured some pretty stupid voice acting. Well, Mega Man X4 also features some voice acting, this time featured in the anime style. The voices take some time to get used to, as they sound very kiddy and squeaky, but once you get used to them you will have no problem with them. The rest of the sound effects in the game are top notch, as well, and I was very impressed with the sound effects in this game.

Overall, the music and sound effects in the game are top notch. The music and sound effects in the Mega Man series has always been the calling card of the series, so I expected them to be good in this game. And they definitely did not disappoint, as I liked a majority of the music in this game. Sure, there was a few certain music pieces I did not like, but that is to be expected. I definitely liked the music better in this game than Mega Man 8, that’s for sure. And the sound effects, they are simply awesome, and all I expected. Great job, Capcom!

The control in this game is top notch, without a shadow of a doubt. One of the things I have always liked most about the Mega Man X series is the fact that the control has always been so smooth and easy to control. For instance, switching weapons using the top buttons on the controller, instead of having to go to the pause screen to switch all the time. Activating your special attacks, climbing walls, everything in this game is a breeze to do. What more do you need to know? The control is superb!

About the only thing I was disappointed with this game is the gameplay. For some reason, I just did not have as much fun with this game as I expected to have. The other games in the series were very fun and provided me with hours of entertainment, but I just did not have a fun time playing this game. Well, I did, it just wasn’t as fun as I expected. I think the reason for this is the fact that the game is too easy, and also the fact that the stages are split into two sections.

I’ll talk about the lack of challenge later on, but let me talk about the stages split into two sections thing. Some of you may be thinking, ''what’s the big deal about that?'' Well, it is a big deal in my opinion. I will be having fun going through a stage, and all of a sudden BAM! The stage stops. I was disappointed by this, but I know why it happened. The Playstation clearly cannot handle the big stages Capcom wanted, so they had to split the stages into two sections. The loading times between the two sections are okay, nothing too major.

The most hyped thing about the game was the fact that you can play as either Mega Man X or Zero in this game. Each of them has its own advantages or disadvantages, I will tell you the major one right now. Mega Man X gains the Maverick’s weapon after defeating them, but Zero can’t, because Zero has a saber, not a gun. Therefore, Zero needs to steal the Maverick’s special power and use the special attacks. That is the major difference between Mega Man X and Zero.

The replay value in the game is pretty good, although it is not as good as the other games in the series. I think the major problem I had with this game is the fact that there are not as much secrets as I expected, and also the fact that the game is short and pretty easy. Therefore, you combine those two factors and you get a game that does not have that much replay value. It does have some decent replay value, but the game is just not that much fun to play as expected, because there is not as many secrets as in the other games in the series.

I have already commented on this twice, and I will now explain it here. This is one of the easiest games in a series that has not exactly been challenging. This is definitely a bad thing, because I bet you could probably beat this game within an hour and a half of getting it. This is truly a disappointing thing, because the game is too simple. A lot of people, including me, like to be challenged when playing a game, and chances are you will not be challenged when playing this game. I simply thought that this game was not as challenging as it could have been, even though some of the bosses were kind of tough.

Overall, I still enjoy playing this game, even though it does have some flaws. I really liked the graphics, music, and sound effects in the game, but I was disappointed by everything else. It just doesn’t have the same feeling as the other games in the Mega Man X series, and I was disappointed by this. It would have helped had the game been challenging, but nope, this game is really not that challenging at all. I am happy I bought this game, as it was a good deal, but it could have been better. Capcom really did do a good job with this game, but with a few minor changes, it could have been the best game in the series. As it stands, it comes up just a tad short.

Good Points- The graphics in the game are simply awesome.- The game features one of the best storylines yet seen in the Mega Man series.- The music soundtrack featured in the game is incredible.- The actual game itself is pretty fun to play, despite the flaws.- Control in the game is solid and relatively smooth.

Not So Good Points- The stages are divided into two sections, which throws the player off guard.- The game is way too easy, lack of challenge is a bad thing.- There is not as much secrets as I expected, which decreases the replay value.- Some of the music in the game is a little disappointing.